Leeu Passant Stellenbosch Chardonnay is a wine that can be defined by its elegance and sophistication. The wine is produced in the Stellenbosch region of South Africa, which is known for its rich, complex Chardonnays. The grapes are grown on high-altitude vineyards which provide a unique terroir to the wine. The wine exhibits exquisite aromas of citrus, vanilla, and butterscotch, which lead to a palate of creamy but balanced flavors of butterscotch, vanilla, lemon curd, and apple. The Chardonnay is crafted in a Burgundian style and matured in bespoke French oak barrels. It is perfect to enjoy with rich seafood and poultry dishes.

Tasting Notes

This textured Chardonnay captures the Stellenbosch sunshine, as well as aromas of yellow grapefruit and citrus. The vibrant palate delivers notes of lime sorbet followed by layers of stone-fruit and lemon curd. The touch of salinity and lush mouthfeel, is well balanced by a zesty acidity, leading up to a beautifully poised and defined finish.

About the Winery

The Mullineux family, quite well known in the South African wine market, set up their label, Mullineux Family Wines, in 2007. Chris and Andrea Mullineux managed this estate from one of the wine-rich regions of South Africa, Swartland. For quite some time, the couple was trying to use the potential of wines from the regions outside Swartland for their label. The search ended in 2013.

This was when Chris and Andrea joined hands with Analjit Singh. The company got renamed Mullineux and Leeu Family Wines. Leeu Passant is the new project of this renamed company. The wine cellar of this project is located in Franschhoek’s Leeu Estates. Chris and Andrea, through Leeu Passant, aim to make the most of the potential of the wine regions outside Swartland, but maintain the same quality and tradition of winemaking as followed in their family vineyards.

The name Leeu Passant, in the local dialect refers to a walking or roaming lion. The team calls itself the roaming lions that walk across the Cape to look for the best parcels to plant vines. It is only apt that the logo of the Leeu Estate is also that of a roaming lion.

Wines from Leeu Passant are aimed at representing the richness of the Cape as a whole. So they make use of grapes grown from multiple leased vineyards. Only those vineyards with exceptional terroirs, soil quality and climatic conditions are chosen to make premium wines. Some of the vineyards used for making these wines are:

Those planted on the lower slopes of the Franschhoek Mountains
Ancient vines planted in Wellington
Those located on the higher and lower slopes of Helderberg Mountains and Polkadraai Hills in Stellenbosch

While the first two (Wellington and Franschhoek) are used to source Cinsault, the last one (Helderberg) is used to source Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Sustainable winemaking is followed in all these vineyards.

https://mlfwines.com/leeupassant

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